Organic chemist Keary Engle honored with Young Investigator Award from Amgen

LA JOLLA, CA — Chemist Keary Engle, PhD, an assistant professor at Scripps Research, has received the 2020 Young Investigator Award from the biopharmaceutical company Amgen.

The award is designed to support academic excellence from early career investigators who are making significant contributions in the fields of biology, chemical biology and chemistry that will continue to advance drug discovery in the years to come.

“We are always searching for more efficient ways to discover compounds that improve human health,” says Engle. “I’m extremely fortunate to work with such a highly talented and creative team of students and postdocs, and this grant will help accelerate a number of our ambitious projects.”

Engle’s research is focused on organic chemistry methods, seeking to streamline the synthesis of new complex molecules that could be applied as pharmaceuticals or agrochemicals. Engle aims to develop more practical and sustainable approaches that don’t require dozens of steps, consume significant reagents, require extreme conditions or result in toxic byproducts.

Engle joins four other investigators selected as this year’s winners: Jean-Philippe Julien, PhD, University of Toronto; David Veesler, PhD, University of Washington; Alison Narayan, PhD, University of Michigan; Sergey Pronin, PhD, University of California Irvine. Interestingly, three of these other four recipients (Julien, Veesler and Pronin) were also previously trainees at Scripps Research, where they worked as postdoctoral researchers.

In addition to for research activities, Engle and the other recipients will be honored at the annual Young Investigator Award Symposium, scheduled virtually over three consecutive days in October, where recipients will present their research updates to Amgen’s scientific staff.